Monday, August 20, 2007

In the absence of any earth shattering hockey news, forgive me for taking a moment to toot my own horn.

At some point today, some unfortunate soul became the 100,000th visitor to this blog. Of course some of the big dogs get this kind of traffic in a single day, and it took me just over two years to reach that plateau. Still, it's about 99,997 more visitors than I ever imagined I'd get. I'm amazed and honored.

I've said before, and I'll say again that I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time during the 2005-06 season when my Hurricanes led the pack all season long en route to winning the Stanley Cup. For some reason, many readers have kept coming around.

Even this past month or so when I've barely managed to eke out one post a week, the people keep coming around. I suppose I must be doing something right. Or at least partially right.

Truth told, I once referenced a photograph of Candace Cameron Bure, which has generated a lot of traffic here. If you want, you can click on it for a bigger image. I don't see what the big deal is.

This blog has been great for me, and I hope it's been worth it for those of you who continue to stop by. I've had more than my fair share of highs, and I've had some lows.

Because of this place, I got to participate in a four-member roundtable panel for CBC.ca during the 2006 playoffs. I was interviewed for a piece in the Christian Science Monitor about rookie goaltenders in the 2006 playoffs. During the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals, I, my ridiculous beard, and my poster proclaiing "my beard believes" were seen on OLN and TSN and broadcast throughout the world. Readers of this blog recognized me on teevee and I received lots of notes and e-mails from people I've never met in places like Stockholm Sweden and Edmonton and lots of other far-off places. That bit was especially cool.

On a personal level, I'm certain that this blog has played a large part in the demise of one of the best friendships I've ever had. As cool as the other stuff is, this bit sucks. Tenfold. Good friends are hard to come by. Great friends come along just a few times in a lifetime. I've gone and alienated one. At the risk of sounding like a preview for We Network original movie, I'd give all that other stuff back if I could have my friend back.

As the dog days of summer wind down, and the beginning of hockey season is in sight, there should be more stuff to write about, and I should be able to be more productive around these parts. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who's stopped by, especially those who come back on purpose. Thanks of course go to everyone in the blogroll. Every one of those has been an inspiration to me in one way or another.

disclaimer

Red And Black Hockey is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Club, the National Hockey League or any of its other member clubs. The opinions expressed herein are entirely those of RBH. Any comments made are the opinion of the commenter, and not necessarily that of RBH. Whenever possible, RBH uses its own photography. Any incidental use of copyrighted material including photography, logos or other brand markings will not interfere with the owner's profits.